[Pak Daily Times] Yemen said on Sunday its security forces were still searching for two Finns and an Austrian whose whereabouts remain unknown since they were kidnapped in Sanaa. Security services are "carrying out vast search and investigation operations to locate the kidnapped" foreigners, kidnapped on Friday in Sanaa, official news agency Saba quoted Interior Minister Abdelqader Qahtan as saying as he received an envoy from Finland. The minister assured the envoy that Yemeni forces will take all steps to ensure the safety of the hostages and secure their quick release.

A security official told AFP that the hostages, kidnapped by gunnies suspected of links to al Qaeda, were probably still in Sanaa. Another official had said Friday that al Qaeda had threatened to kidnap foreigners and to stage bank hold-ups if the authorities fail to release members of an imprisoned network. The three hostages - an Austrian man, a Finish man and a Finish woman -- were kidnapped when they were preparing to travel to the southern port of Aden via second city of Taez.
Posted by: Fred 2012-12-24